Gotta try and find the story behind the label image. Strange! And pretty much the reason I picked this up. That, and the fact that their Troubador Obscura is great. Figured it was time to try another Musketiers offering.

Pours a quintessentially Belgian-looking appearance, which is to say it's stunning. 2+ fingers of a super-foamy, Styrofoam-stiff, snow-white head, sitting firmly on top of a hazy, sunny golden-yellow color.

Not only is the appearance textbook-definition "Belgian pale ale," but so is the aroma. If you love Belgian yeast and all that it imparts, you'll find this to die for (or get your huge hand chopped off for, like the poor giant on the label). So it's yeasty, reminding of bread pudding, with a healthy layer of sweet, succulent, but somewhat subtle fruits, especially peach, pear and green apple.

Big flavor here, a bit bigger than your more subtle and tempered Belgian pales, and in no way unlikeable. The fruits detected in the aroma come out stronger on the tongue, as if they're riding a wave of big alcohol, but at 6.8% it can't be just that. The yeast mingles nicely with the fruit characteristics, giving it a vibe somewhere between dessert-y and bread-y, and there's just a hint of earth/funk buried far below.

A slightly tart/sour aspect to the finish makes sense with the fruity impressions, and it finishes fairly dry although the yeast/fruit personality makes its imprint on the senses long after the sip. Bubbles are just on the soft side of sharp, if that makes any sense.

Fairly simple beer, Antigoon...I mean, how often did I write "fruit" and "yeast" and "bread"? That's it, in a nutshell, and that's just fine, because there are clearly nothing but quality ingredients being used here. A fantastically flavorful beer that counts as "sessionable" for me (my definition is more liberal: under 7%).

Poured into a Cigar City snifter. No freshness date found. 750 mL bottle has a plastic cork which seems a bit odd but I know how cork is becoming more and more expensive.

A- Pours a full inch of head that retains for a good while and slips into a lovely ring with excellent webbed lacing clinging to the glass. Once I swirl it, the lacing is more tattered but that initial pour was perfect.

S- Ooh. Quite fruity with lemon zest notes and sharp citrus punching into the nostrils. Smells a bit sour but that may or may not translate taste-wise. Has an overall aroma that reminds me of something... what is that? Ooh! It's apple crisp! This beer smells exactly like apple crisp with a splash of hops! Remarkable! Also a bit of cherry in there.

T- Ok, unfortunately it doesn't taste like apple crisp but we can't have our cake and eat it too I guess. Some wet cardboard taste that I assume is due to a bit of skunking (as can be common with many imported Belgians due to the long trip it has to take) but it clears away quickly enough to get a sense of what the beer used to taste like. Once again, zesty and a bit tart but not sour. I do get an apple note once I get into it but it's nothing close to the aroma. Tastes like a lot of Belgians I've had but not in a way that makes it commonplace or boring

M- Kind of a creamy mouthfeel that has medium-low carbonation.

O- I can't get over how much this beer smells like apple crisp. That alone makes me enjoy it. A total shot in the dark with this brewery since I'd never heard of it until I started working at Total Wine and this is one of their "Brewery Direct" brands which makes the price even lower than their namebrand prices which are already reasonable. Glad I made the purchase.

Champagne bottle purchased 10/11Had seen this beer in Draft Mag and was curious about it.

A:Pours Golden Straw Hazy, Huuge white Rocky head that lasts and Great lacing.

AR: Sweet,Citrus(Orange, Lemon,some Pineapple) and Really Spicy from the hops and yeast.A little funk A touch of bread on the end from the yeast as well.

T: Spice mellowed quickly by the citrus and light malt flavors Followed by the bitterness from the hops and a little bit of funkiness but acceptable actually kinda helps with the character.Finishes dry highly drinkable.

M: Great carbonation nice and wet medium to light body up front, finishes light and dry.

O: Not disappointed at all this is a great example of the style.I will drink this whole bottle by myself and not think twice about it. It sits just under 7%abv.

Found this by accident, and really only bought it because of the label. Served in a Duvel tulip.

A – Nice wheat color, with cloudiness to it, a very large and full white head, the retention on the head was pretty impressive.

S – There is a lot of spice in the nose blended with a yeasty note and a mild citrus in the background.

T – All of the following: yeasty, floral hops, fresh spices (clove mostly), bready. This is very well executed; the balance of all the flavors just gives it a nice pop. There is a really nice funk to this, and I enjoyed that about this beer.

M – Good medium body, with a lot of carbonation, either takes away from this beer.

D – I was really impressed with this and wasn’t expecting much initially. A really experience. I recommend this to anyone that is into Belgian beers of any kind.

Bright yellow appearance, lightly hazy. Thick plume of white foam reaches 2 fingers width. Lovely streams of carbonation rise about the sides of the glass. Lightly musty aroma with a touch of estery sweetness and the slightest suggestion of lemon. Not very spicy, a bit subdued overall, but still a nice bouquet.

The taste has a steady malt flavor that is lightly sweet and bready. Clean and dry up front with touches of spice and bitterness at the finish. There isn't an overwhelming complexity here, I find myself wishing for a bit more tartness or some funk, but it's still a straightforward good Belgian Pale. Perhaps it's just a tad too sweet being on the stonger side for the style. The mouthfeel is nice, with a light foaminess on the palate and medium body.

A decent example of the style, I was glad to try this beer. For the price ($9.99) I could probably find something else more interesting, but I might try this again.

Pours a cloudy, dark golden yellow color with a two finger frothy white head that has very good retention, only slowly settling into a lasting ring that leaves streaks and chunks of soapy lacing behind.

Slightly earthy aroma with hints of grassy hops, bread and light fruit. There's also some subtle spice and a pale malt backbone. Hints of grass, straw and pine followed by some apple and pear as well as some subtle alcohol.

Medium bodied with a touch of crisp, earthy hops up front that provide a faint bitterness that slowly fades into dry finish. There's a slightly creamy texture mid-palate that adds to the mouthfeel and complexity of the beer. Not as earthy as the aroma suggests with only faint grassy presence. Sweeter than expected with a pale malt backbone along wither estery and bready yeast flavors. Hints of apple and banana followed by a touch of boozy sweetness in the finish. Not overly complex but well balanced, flavorful and easy to drink.

Picked up a corked and caged 750ml bottle in a trade with Dawson's Liquor in Severna Park, MD and poured it into a Tripel Karmeliet branded tulip - thanks fellas!

A: The bottle label itself is simply amazing - with cool artwork that depicts the story of the mythical Roman soldier Silvius Brabo; an underdog hero who cut the hand off of the cruel giant Druon Antigoon. He then tossed it in the river as Antigoon had done to many undeserving victims in his time. A bit of David and Goliath for the Belgians. There's a fountain/statue in Antwerp of Silvius dramatically throwing the hand (with water squirting out of it in place of blood) of Antigoon's. Pretty F'n cool!

Now for the beer's actual appearance - pours a hazy pale/strawlike hue with a thick white head that sticks around for a while, leaving massive amounts of lacing in its tracks.

S: Good amount of malt and some trippy funk from the yeast, saw dust and fermented apricot, some earthy hop and fresh biscuit finish.

T: The nose suggests a lot of what will come in the taste - nice bready/biscuit flavor, a bit of mellow funk from the yeast, sweet and malty balance, with earthy hop and a hint of fennel that round the flavor out nicely.

M: The mouthfeel is absolutely perfect - medium bodied with just the right amount of carbonation for the style, a clean dry finish with a bit of lingering bitterness from the hop. Easy drinker - had to really use some self control when it came to leaving the second bottle for another night.

Overall a "cream of the crop" for the style. One of the better Belgian Pales i've ever had. Can't wait to crack into that other bottle!

Pours a cloudy, lemon yellow colour with a large, snow white soapy head. Sticky lacing clings firmly to the sides of my glass.Smell is delightfully citrusy with a bit of the dank basement, 'barn yard funk' smell associated with many Belgian styles.Flavour is mildly spicy with a touch of citrus and a pleasant, earthy bitterness.Mouthfeel is very smooth and well carbonated. A classic Belgian pale ale and wonderful example of the style.

Pours a somewhat hazy dark golden with a thick and rather persistent off-white head that leaves some decent lacing. The bottle I got foamed like crazy, so open with caution! Strong aroma is fruity, mainly apple with hints of pear and orange, with a yeasty undertone and just a hint of hops. Rich, mouth-filling flavor is malty and fruity, a little sweet, with hints of butterscotch, banana and caramel as well as a touch of hops - it seems as though each sip is a little different. Dee-lishus! Texture is creamy and fizzy, leaving behind a tingly, fruity, slightly sweet, slightly hoppy and edgy finish. Heartily recommended!

I love the painted label bottle, and the artwork on it. It's a great looking bottle, even if it is a little gory. It illustrates the Roman soldier Brabo cutting off the hand of the giant, Druon Antigoon, who, according to myth, guarded the river Scheldt and cut off the hand of anyone refusing to pay his toll and threw it into the river. Thus, supposedly, the name of Antwerp - "hand thrower".

Appearance: Its slightly hazy deep golden body teems with life as hundreds of tiny bubbles race upwards, taking their place in line beneath the frothy head of white that caps it. The head retention and lacing are both excellent.

Smell: Chalky yeast; grainy, lightly sweet malt; spicy; floral.

Taste: The spiciness and sweet malt dominate the flavor, with the spiciness bouncing atop the malt like a trampoline. Yeasty fruitiness remains in the "golden" arena with mostly apple, and perhaps a hint of pear. Quite floral. Some leafy and grassy hops are present as well; but the chalkiness of the yeast fails to cut through until the finish. It's backed by a solid bitterness that doesn't appear at first as it's masked by the sweetness of the malt but then becomes more apparent towards the swallow, and finally rises to its highest point in the long-lingering, bitter, spicy, and floral finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light in body with a creamy texture due to the effervescent, tiny-bubbled carbonation.

Beer on tap at a local Belgian restaurant. The menu claimed that the beer was brewed for that establishment and something else about a giant and a severed hand...I didn't read the whole thing.

Beer served in an Antigoon glass. Whoa. Beer is yellow and completely hazy with a big soft white head of small and medium bubbles, nice levels of lacing and moderate carbonation, head has some retention to it.

Aroma is spicy and yeast with a mild sweet and some nice grains. Smells like La Fin Du Monde's little brother.

Beer is relatively thin, mild sweetness up front but a relatively dry finish. Overall the beer is really nice, the yeast comes up on the midpalate like a flower and fills out the midpalate with this complex array of esters. I would have it again. I should research to see if this beer is truly only available at that restaurant or just in DC.

First off, let me note that this has the sweetest bottle art I have seen since Caldera's "Vas Deference." The bottle is, in fact, the sole reason my friend picked this out.

The beer itself pours a slightly dimmed golden color with a rocky parchment head that has great staying power and leaves decent lacing.

The aroma is pretty standard BPA with a very bready base, notes of herbal hops and grass, and just a touch of pepper. There are also plenty of fruity notes in the nose like pear and apple.

The flavor seems to have a bit more spice to it with more pepper, as well as some clove. The malt is bready and sweet, but not too interesting. There is a definite yeastiness to this beer, and a fresh juicy fruity character that is quite tasty.

The mouthfeel is on the light side of medium with just about the perfect amount of carbonation. The finish is clean, short and very pleasant.

This beer goes down super easy and is very enjoyable, but besides the label, there is really nothing compelling me to have another.

Presentation: 750 ml synthetic cork brown bottle. Screen-printed label shows an illustration of giant Antigoon bleeding profusely with a hand cut-off by soldier bravo. Shows a not very clear and easy to smear best by date on the cork (09/12 12). Notes Alc. by Vol. (6.8%). Served in a tulip glass.

M - Medium body with medium carbonation. Bubbles are a bit more assertive early on but go down a bit to provide a sweetly tamed body that works rather smoothly.

D - This works fantastically as a Belgium Golden Ale, almost a session brew like the chef suggests but with a slightly bigger alcoholic range. Very nice and a rather welcome addition to the local landscape.

Notes: Nice and rich DC offering, with Chef Robert Wiedmaier providing a quality surprise with this house ale from Brasserie Beck. It reminds me that I´m long overdue to visit his establishment.

My impression, given that this brew is a Brasserie Beck by Robert Wiedmaier, and that it is contracted to the Musketters in Belgium is that it should be listed under Brasserie Beck and not under the contract brewery as it is typically the norm in these situations.

Likewise, I understand that this is far from being a saison, more so a Belgium Golden-Pale Ale, which would also seem to be backed up by the way that menu and brewers describe it.

t - Similiar to the nose, mostly belgian yeast and spices, as well as a little apple. A little bit of a sweet fruit taste to it.

m - Medium body with moderate carbonation. Very easy to drink.

d - Overall I enjoyed this beer quite a bit. Typical Beglian smell and taste, with some nice sweet apples coming through. It was very enjoyable and very easy to drink. Could definitely drink more of this.

This beer was commissioned by Robert Weidmaier of Brasserie Beck and is their house beer. There is a story behind the name of the beer. It starts with the Roman general Silvius Brabon (Brabo). Brabo is in the service of Caesar and is a personal friend of the emperor.

After a successful battle against the combined forces of the Belgic Nervii and Eburones, Brabo and Caesar decided to take a break in the town of Kleef. (Germany, - North-Rhine-Westfalen) One day, Brabo went hunting and saw a swan pulling a boat. He jumped on the boat and was taken to a fort. In this fort, they had imprisoned 'Swane', the sister of Caesar and widow of the King of Tongeren.

Brabo liberated Swane and asked for her hand in marriage. Brabo marries Swane and Caesar gives him the land between the East Sea and the land of the Nervii. Caesar makes Brabo the first Duke of the area and Brabonames the area, Brabant.

The old Belgians lived in peace near the river Scaldis (now called the river Schelde). They were hunters, fishermen and traders. All was peaceful until the arrival of the giant Druon Antigoon.

He built a castle near the river and demanded that people pay a toll to pass the castle. In the beginning all is well. After a while, Antigoon increases the toll higher and higher. Those folk who could not afford to pay the toll had their hands cut off. Amongst the victims are a few of Brabo's men. Brabo fights Antigoon and afterward, he cuts of the hand and throws it in the river Schelde. Hand = Ant, Throwing = Werpen > Hand Werpen > Antwerpen > Antwerp (English).

The label is a picture of Antigoon with a bleeding left arm that has just been severed by Brabo.

750ml brown bottle with a caged cork, no date information, but this was purchased fresh within the week. The synthetic cork slips out with a soft pfft and a wisp of gun smoke. A towering head of eggshell colored and loosely piled bubbles builds and slowly recedes leaving wisps of lace. Hazed golden caramel with a solid column of firing carbonation. Aromas of spicy Belgian yeast, lemon rind, golden apples, and hints of cracked pepper subtle sweetness rise. The taste closely follows the nose. Bits of pepper up front along with distinct Belgian yeastiness leads to a spicy dry finish that lingers. The pepper notes builds as it warms, and it becomes a bit mineral. Medium carbonation tingles along the tongue, but calms over the course of the bottle. The mouthfeel is soft and crisp. Easy drinking at 6.8%. $12/bottle.